The present generation of elderly people remains more active than ever. Rather than moving into specially observed homes and retirement homes, they regard their own homes, having lived there for a long time, the ideal place to live after retirement and arrange themselves accordingly; this is a generational change that has happened only within the last 15 to 25 years. Before then, retirees usually considered moving to a retirement home or a living facility at a much earlier age than nowadays. Presently, retirement homes are used more to help those with pressing diseases such as dementia or other ailments requiring around-the-clock care.
Most accidents happen at home. Especially accidents in bathrooms bear a high risk of fatal injuries due to slippery surfaces and a lack of protecting clothes. For example, elderly people may faint while taking a bath. If the fainted person is not able to wake up in time, it may drown in the bath tub. Another common accident is slipping in the shower which may lead to bone fractures or similar injuries.
Accordingly, there is a need for safety methods and equipment to prevent fatal injuries in the bathroom, especially for elderly people or other susceptible persons (e.g. persons suffering from epilepsy).
Amongst the ageing and those with multiple sclerosis or epilepsy, drowning in a bathtub is a common cause of death. Once a person faints in the bath tub, the body slides down until the head is under the water surface; if he or she does not recover consciousness, drowning occurs in less than 3 minutes.
The present invention uses the movement of the fainting body to increase the chances of survival by making the water flow out of the tub.
Furthermore, slipping in showers is a known, but little researched cause of severe injuries and death amongst the elderly. The leading injuries sustained in a fall in the shower are:
broken upper leg bones
broken hips
broken lower leg bones, in particular the shin
concussions
spinal injuries
broken noses, fingers and hands, and
fractured skull.
While some injuries heal, others have serious complications. For example, a broken hip of an already weak person can entail such demanding surgery that the operation might result in death.
The present invention is not trying to hinder the fall. Though attempts have been made, primarily within the American medical community, fall prevention efforts have been unsuccessful. A fall can have several causes-all of which cannot be helped by adding more handles to the shower or installing anti-skid mats. Particularly senior citizens may suddenly feel a loss in the leg muscles (“weak knees”), experience dizziness, and slip while showering; here neither the anti-skid mat nor the handles help, as the center of gravity is constantly changing when one showers.
The most perfect protection would either include a chair in the shower or wearing a belt, structured like in a parachute. However, the latter is not only uncomfortable, but difficult to put on; the areas where the belt is strapped to make it impossible to clean the underlying skin. Though the shower chair is commonly used by people unable to stand, it still remains an uncomfortable alternative. Slipping still occurs when exiting the shower, once the chair starts to move around, or when the body is covered with soap and water.